JP4165852B2 - Game device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a game apparatus in which a game is executed on a television screen or a liquid crystal display using an electronic circuit, and is particularly applied to a “Tetris (registered trademark)” game belonging to the category of “falling object game”, such as an infant As described above, the present invention relates to an ingenuity on software for specifically teaching the interest and enjoyment of a user who is not yet familiar with the operation and cannot easily understand the intention of the game.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there are various “falling object games” in simple portable game machines and home video game machines, and “Tetris” (registered trademark) is a prominent game that has been widely hit.
[0003]
In this game, on the screen as shown in FIG. 20A, a block group consisting of a combination of four blocks from the upper side of the operation control area 101 is dropped one by one at a constant speed to the lower side. In the meantime, the block group can be horizontally moved / rotated by the operation of the controller, and the controlled falling block group is deposited on the deposited block on the lower side of the operation control region 101.
Then, when the falling blocks are deposited on the accumulated blocks, if the blocks are aligned over the entire horizontal direction, the aligned blocks are cleared, and the clearing is regarded as one success in the game process, and points are given. The entire block that has been deposited on the upper side is moved to the lower side to form a new deposited state.
For example, in the state of FIG. 20A, if the falling block group 102 is moved to the right by one block and dropped, an aligned block is formed for the horizontal line 103, and the aligned block is cleared. Is done.
[0004]
In this game, an area (next pattern display unit) 104 for displaying a pattern of a block group to be dropped next is provided outside the operation control area 101, and the current block group 102 and the next block group are displayed. You can always confirm 105.
Therefore, the controller operator confirms them and determines in what position of the already-deposited blocks it is appropriate to drop the falling block group 102 to form the alignment block. Then, the control of the falling block group 102 is executed, and this game competes for the judgment and skill of the operation skill.
In the Tetris game, a group of falling blocks as shown in FIG. 20 (B) is generally prepared, and a randomly selected one appears from the next pattern display unit 104 to the operation control area 101. It can be dropped.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, with the widespread use of home video game toys and the supply of abundant game software, the number of people enjoying video games has increased dramatically, especially among young people. Is becoming younger and is reaching from elementary school children to kindergarten children.
The Tetris game has a simple game system and is easy to understand as compared with a role playing game (RPG) or the like, and can be easily accepted by elementary school children and infants.
[0006]
However, when it is actually configured as game software, it is extremely difficult to teach game rules and controller operating methods to lower grade elementary school students, etc. There is no choice but to create an instruction manual, but even then, efficient learning is not expected.
[0007]
On the other hand, elementary school students in the lower grades have an excellent understanding of the contents developed visually, and the degree of acquisition is surprisingly fast if they are trained with interest in the operation of the controller.
Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to visually understand the game rules while familiarizing with the operation of the controller in a falling object game such as Tetris, etc. Was created for the purpose of providing a game device that can be enjoyed in earnest in a short period of time.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides an operation unit capable of at least selecting a game mode and instructing movement / rotation of a block group described later, a display unit, a storage unit storing a game program, and a game mode from the operation unit. A data processing unit that executes a game program in the storage unit according to the selection mode by selection; and a display control unit that displays a game execution screen on the display unit in response to execution of the program by the data processing unit. From the upper side of the operation control area set in the display unit by selecting one by one from a plurality of types of block groups configured by combining unit blocks of a predetermined shape by the cooperative operation of the storage unit and the data processing unit. A block group (hereinafter referred to as “next block group”) that appears and falls toward the bottom side and then falls outside the operation control area is displayed. And a second block in which a group of falling blocks (hereinafter referred to as a “falling block group”) is deposited on the lower side while horizontally moving / rotating in response to a movement / rotation instruction input from the operation unit. A procedure, a third procedure for clearing the aligned block and shifting the block deposited on the upper side to the lower side when the blocks are accumulated in the horizontal direction, and adding points according to the number of times of the clearing In the game device in which the fourth procedure is repeatedly executed each time the dropped block group reaches the lower side of the operation control area or the upper side of the already accumulated block group, the game mode selection menu has a low level. An operator mode is provided, and each unit functions in the mode setting state, and includes a block accumulation pattern and a drop block in the operation control area. A recognizing unit for recognizing a group configuration pattern and a next block group configuration pattern, and based on each pattern information obtained by the recognizing unit, it is optimal for configuring the aligned block from the accumulated state of blocks Computation means for obtaining the horizontal position and rotation form of the fall block group, correction means for correcting the fall block group to the horizontal position and rotation form obtained by the computation means, and the fall block group corrected by the compensation means A game apparatus comprising: synchronization / control means for forcibly dropping and depositing in synchronization with an arbitrary instruction input signal obtained from the operation unit.
[0009]
According to the present invention, the drop block group is corrected by the correction unit so that the optimum state obtained by the calculation unit is obtained regardless of the instruction input of the operation unit, and the drop block is synchronized with the operation of the operation unit. It can be deposited.
Therefore, you can visually check the rules of the falling object game and experience the feeling of operation, so that you can learn the contents of the game in a short period of time while getting interested in the above elementary school students etc. I can go.
[0010]
Further, in the invention, before the synchronization / control unit forcibly drops / deposits the falling block group, a dummy pattern of the falling block group is generated, and the dummy pattern is based on the information obtained by the correction unit. If a dummy pattern display means is provided to move and display in time series so as to guide the lowermost side to the optimum position of the deposition block on the lower side, the control guidance state of the falling block group can be visually confirmed, which is more effective. is there.
In the case of a simple portable game machine, the game program may be stored in the storage unit of the game device in advance, but it is recorded in an external storage medium such as a ROM cassette or CD-ROM. In this case, the game program is downloaded from the external storage medium to the storage unit.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the game apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
First, FIG. 1 shows a system circuit diagram of a television game machine, wherein 1 is a game machine body, 2 is a television receiver (TV) corresponding to a display unit, and 4 and 5 are controllers which are operation input units.
The game machine main body 1 is equipped with a CD-ROM drive 3 and has a system in which a game program is downloaded in advance to a built-in memory from a CD-ROM 3a in which a game program and game data are recorded.
The game machine body 1 has a normal hardware configuration, and includes a CPU 10, a work memory 11 for storing a downloaded game program and an area for temporarily saving and processing read game data, and a CD-ROM. Built-in CD-ROM I / F12, which is an interface to the drive 3, a video processor 13, an audio processor 14, and a joypad I / F15, 16 which is an interface to the controllers 4 and 5, are included in the system bus of the CPU10. The units 11 to 16 are bus-connected, the video processor 13 and the audio processor 14 are connected to the TV connection connector 18 via the TV-I / F 17, and the joypad I / Fs 16 and 15 are the controllers 4 and 5, respectively. Are connected to the connectors 19 and 20, respectively.
Although FIG. 1 shows a state in which two controllers 4 and 5 are connected to the game machine body 1, this is a connection state when playing a battle game or the like, and naturally the game is performed alone. In that case, it is sufficient that either one of the controllers 4 or 5 is connected.
[0012]
When the CD-ROM 3a is set in the CD-ROM drive 3 in the system operating state, the system setting program and the guidance screen data are read from the CD-ROM 3a to the memory 11, and the guidance screen is displayed on the TV 2.
The CD-ROM 3a used in this embodiment records the above-mentioned Tetris game program. By performing an appropriate operation based on the guidance screen, “Easy” is selected from the selection menu and “Set” is selected. When “setting” is instructed, various setting screens as shown in FIG. 2 can be displayed.
[0013]
Here, it is assumed that the navigation system according to the present embodiment is selected from various setting items.
When the system is selected, the navigation program is read from the CD-ROM 3a together with the basic program of the Tetris game and stored in the memory 11.
The basic screen in this Tetris game is as shown in FIG. 3, and the principle of the game is the same as that described in the prior art. However, when the navigation program is started, a normal Tetris game is displayed. The operation signal from the controller 4 is meaningful only as a synchronous control signal for the movement of the falling block group, regardless of which button is pressed, and the horizontal movement of the falling block group. / Control related to rotation is executed by the navigation program.
[0014]
Hereinafter, the operation of the game machine body 1 in a state where the navigation system is selected will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, after the Tetris game screen shown in FIG. 3 (the accumulation block does not exist on the lower side of the operation control area 30 in the initial state) is displayed from the controller 4 (S1), the operation is always performed. One selected block group is displayed in the control area 30, and the next selected block group (next block group) is displayed in the next pattern display unit 31 (S2).
[0015]
In that case, the CPU 10 recognizes each pattern of the falling block group and the next block group in the operation control area 30 and the pattern of the entire accumulated block on the lower side of the operation control area 30 (S3), and in the recognition information Based on the current situation, it is determined how the falling block group can be rotated and dropped to the existing accumulated block to form an aligned block in which 10 horizontally aligned blocks are most efficiently arranged. The optimum horizontal position and rotation form are determined by calculation (S4).
In this case, as described above, not only the relationship between the falling block group and the accumulated block group but also the relationship with the next block group is considered, so that an experienced operator determines when executing the Tetris game in the normal mode. The same as the standard.
[0016]
Specifically, for example, in FIG. 5, if the falling block group 41 is rotated + 90 ° and dropped to the position of the deposited block into the concave portion 42, an aligned block can be formed on the horizontal line indicated by 43 and cleared. On the other hand, the falling block group 41 is rotated 180 ° and dropped into the recessed portion 45 of the deposited block, and the next block group 44 ′ is dropped into the recessed portion 42 as it is. There is also a method of forming an alignment block on two horizontal lines 43 and 46 shown in FIG.
However, since it is not known what kind of block group is further next block group 44 ', in this case, it is judged to be optimal to control fall block group 41 by the former method for the time being. Will be processed.
[0017]
When a determination is made based on the calculation result, a dummy pattern in which the falling block group is corrected from the initial position to the optimum horizontal position and rotation form based on the calculation result is displayed (S5).
Here, the corrected dummy pattern represents the falling block group only by the outline, but a display method such as displaying it in a ghost shape or a color different from that of the falling block group may be adopted.
Then, a fall state in which the corrected dummy pattern is moved to the optimum position of the already deposited block based on the above determination is displayed in time series (S6).
This time series display is automatically executed by the navigation program regardless of the operation of the controller 4, and in advance guides how the falling block group should be moved / rotated in the optimum operation. It plays the role of showing and displaying a series of movements in a relatively short time.
Specifically, from the state shown in FIG. 5, the dummy pattern 47 is displayed as shown in FIG. 6, and the state in which the dummy pattern 47 falls to the recessed portion 42 of the deposited block is displayed in time series.
[0018]
Next, when the controller 4 is operated and there is any input, the original falling block group is horizontally moved / rotated in the same manner of change as the dummy pattern, and is dropped / deposited on the deposited block side (S7- S9).
In this case, in the normal mode of the Tetris game, the falling block group is dropped to the intended position on the accumulated block side by properly operating the right move button / left move button / rotary button / forced drop button etc. of the controller 4. However, in the navigation system mode according to this embodiment, the input signals generated by operating the buttons do not have the instruction attributes given to the buttons, but merely provide a synchronization signal for the change of the falling block group. is there.
Therefore, no matter which button is operated, the falling block group only changes so as to follow the locus of the dummy pattern, and as a result, the optimum horizontal value calculated by the calculation result of step S4 is obtained. It falls and deposits on the accumulated block side in the direction position and rotation form.
[0019]
Specifically, after the dummy pattern 47 is dropped into the recessed portion 42 of the deposited block in FIG. 6, each time the controller 4 is operated with any button as shown in FIG. Similarly to the dummy pattern 47, it horizontally moves / rotates and finally fits in the recess.
It should be noted that how much the falling block group 41 is changed in response to the button operation of the controller 4 can be freely set by the navigation program, but it can be approximated to the operation state in the normal mode as much as possible. Desirably, for example, it is possible to employ a control method in which rotation is given by the first operation, horizontal movement is given by the second operation, and forced drop is given by the third operation.
[0020]
In this way, when the falling block group is dropped on the already-deposited block, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the alignment block extending in the horizontal direction is configured in the accumulation state as in the normal mode (S10). If the aligned block is formed, it is cleared and each block located on the upper side is shifted downward to reconstruct a new deposition state (S11).
That is, in the example shown in FIG. 7, since the alignment blocks are formed in the horizontal line 43 by the accumulation of the falling block group 41, the alignment blocks are cleared and the accumulation state as shown in FIG. 8 is reconstructed. Is done.
There is a special block with a colored “○” in the alignment block of the horizontal line 43. In this game, when the special block is the target of clearing, the left side of the screen in FIG. The section of the same color in the frame is removed, and the picture hidden behind appears gradually on the front, but since it is not directly related to this embodiment, its description is omitted. To do.
[0021]
By repeating the above procedure, in this navigation system mode, the input signal of the controller 4 is used only for synchronous control related to the change of the falling block group, and the falling block group is optimally rotated in the optimal rotation state. In the following description, how to process the falling block group appearing over several orders from the state shown in FIG. 8 will be described in detail.
[0022]
In the stage of FIG. 8, what was the next block group 44 ′ in the stage of FIG. 7 appears in the operation control area 30 as a fall block group 44, and a new next block group 48 ′ is displayed on the next pattern display section 31. Will be.
By the way, the basic operation for rationally configuring the aligned blocks in the Tetris game is to deposit each block as much as possible so as not to form a blank part. There are no recesses in which the alignment blocks are formed by depositing the block group 44. On the other hand, referring to the next block group 48 ', if the block is rotated by + 90 ° and dropped into the recess 49, the horizontal line 50 is obtained. An alignment block can be configured.
Therefore, the falling block group 44 is temporarily deposited in the concave portion 51, and when the next block group 48 ′ becomes the falling block group, the rotation / horizontal movement may be performed as described above. Based on this, as shown in FIG. 9, the dummy pattern 52 of the falling block group 44 is moved horizontally by one block to the right and dropped into the recess 51 as it is, and thereafter, as shown in FIG. The falling block group 44 is dropped along the same locus as the dummy pattern 52 while being synchronized with an arbitrary input signal from the controller 4.
[0023]
Next, the process proceeds to the stage shown in FIG. 11 due to the fall / deposition of the fall block group 44, and the next block group 48 'appears in the operation control area 30 as the fall block group 48 in the stage shown in FIG. In the part 31, a new next block group 53 ′ is displayed.
In this case, as described in the stage of FIG. 8, it is optimal to rotate the falling block group 48 by + 90 ° and drop it into the concave portion 49, while assuming that the falling block group 48 is dropped in another state. However, there is no possibility that the next block group 53 ′ can constitute an aligned block.
Accordingly, based on the determination based on the calculation result, as shown in FIG. 11, the state in which the dummy pattern 54 of the drop block group 48 is rotated by + 90 ° and moved to the left and dropped from the position to the recess 49 is time-series. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the falling block group 48 is dropped along the same locus as the dummy pattern 54 while synchronizing with an arbitrary input signal from the controller 4.
[0024]
Then, as shown in FIG. 12, when the falling block group 48 drops and accumulates in the concave portion 49, an alignment block is formed on the horizontal line 55, and the alignment block is cleared and each block above it is shifted downward. Therefore, the already-deposited block is in a deposition state as shown in FIG.
[0025]
Hereinafter, in the same manner, the pattern of the falling block group in the operation control area 30, the pattern of the next block group in the next pattern display unit 31, and the pattern of the entire block in the accumulated state on the lower side of the operation control area 30 are always recognized. On the other hand, it is determined in which rotational position and in which horizontal position it is optimal to drop the current falling block group, and the state in which the corrected dummy pattern is dropped based on the determination is displayed in time series. After that, the original falling block group is dropped and deposited in the same manner as the dummy pattern while being synchronized with an arbitrary input signal of the controller 4.
FIGS. 14 to 19 sequentially show the respective states in which the falling block group appearing in the operation control area 30 and its dummy pattern from the state of FIG. 13 are processed based on the principle described above, step by step. As is apparent, a group of falling blocks is dropped and deposited in the rotation state and the horizontal position determined to be optimal for forming the alignment block at each stage based on the three pattern information of the previous period.
[0026]
As the name suggests, the navigation system mode described in this embodiment guides the fallen block group to fall and deposit in a state that is determined to be optimal with respect to the already deposited block, and the guidance state is indicated by a dummy pattern. In addition to the series display, the operation of the controller 4 is experienced as if it were controlling the falling block group in a pseudo manner.In other words, the optimal operation state in the normal mode is simulated and the game rules are visually displayed. However, you can feel as if you are operating the game by yourself.
Therefore, even younger elementary school students and infants who are still poor in comprehension, can learn the game rules efficiently and experience the operation, supplementing the aspects that can not be taught sufficiently with the conventional instruction manual, naturally It has the effect of becoming familiar with the game and having fun.
[0027]
In this embodiment, the Tetris game is described. However, the principle of the present invention can be applied to a similar falling object game.
In this embodiment, the game program is downloaded from the CD-ROM 3a. However, the program may be another recording medium such as a ROM cassette, and in the case of a portable game machine. Alternatively, it may be stored in the built-in memory in advance.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
Since the game device of the present invention has the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
For falling objects represented by Tetris games, low-grade elementary school students and toddlers who still lack the ability to understand instruction manuals, etc., efficiently learn the game rules in a visual manner while simultaneously executing the games. This makes it possible to familiarize yourself with the control operations related to.
This eliminates the inconvenience that parents have had to teach the young person the rules of falling object game and the operation of the controller in a simple and detailed manner based on the instruction manual. It can be enjoyed in earnest.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system circuit diagram of a game device.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a mode setting screen of a Tetris game according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a basic execution screen of a Tetris game.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the game apparatus in the navigation system mode.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation control area and a next pattern display section of a display screen in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen operation control area and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (dummy pattern is moving / dropping).
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (a falling block group is moving / falling).
FIG. 8 is a diagram (after clearing the alignment blocks) showing the operation control area and the next pattern display section of the display screen in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (dummy pattern is moving / dropping).
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (the falling block group is moving / falling).
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen operation control area and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (dummy pattern is moving / dropping).
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (the falling block group is moving / falling).
FIG. 13 is a diagram (after clearing the alignment blocks) showing the operation control area and the next pattern display portion of the display screen in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (dummy pattern is moving / dropping).
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (the falling block group is moving / falling).
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (dummy pattern is moving / dropping).
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (the falling block group is moving / falling).
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an operation control area and a next pattern display unit on the display screen in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an operation control area on the display screen and a next pattern display section in the program execution stage of the navigation system mode (dummy pattern is moving / dropping).
FIG. 20 is a display screen (A) of a general Tetris game and a diagram (B) showing six types of patterns of a falling block group.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Game console body, 2 ... TV receiver, 3 ... CD-ROM drive, 3a ... CD-ROM, 4,5 ... Controller, 10 ... CPU, 11 ... Memory, 12 ... CD-ROM I / F, 13 ... Video processor, 14 ... Audio processor, 15,16 ... Joypad I / F, 17 ... TV-I / F, 18,19,20 ... Connector for connection, 30,101 ... Operation control area, 31,104 ... Next pattern display section , 41, 44, 48, 102 ... Falling block group, 42, 45, 49, 51 ... Recess, 43, 46, 50, 55, 103 ... Horizontal line, 44 ', 48', 53 ', 105 ... Next block group, 47, 52 , 54… Dummy pattern.

Claims (3)

At least an operation unit capable of selecting a game mode and instructing movement / rotation of a block group to be described later, a display unit, a storage unit storing a game program, and a selection of the game mode from the operation unit A data processing unit that executes a game program of the storage unit according to a mode, and a display control unit that displays a game execution screen on the display unit in response to execution of the program by the data processing unit, From the upper side to the lower side of the operation control area set in the display unit by selecting one by one from a plurality of types of block groups configured by combining unit blocks of a predetermined shape by the cooperative operation of the unit and the data processing unit A first hand that causes a block group (hereinafter referred to as a “next block group”) to appear and fall and to be selected and dropped next to the outside of the operation control area. And a second procedure of depositing the falling block group (hereinafter referred to as “falling block group”) on the lower side while horizontally moving / rotating in accordance with a movement / rotation instruction input from the operation unit, respectively. Is aligned in the horizontal direction and clears the aligned block and shifts the block deposited above it to the lower side, and a fourth step for adding points according to the number of times of clearing In the game device in which the procedure is repeatedly executed each time the dropped block group reaches the lower side of the operation control area or the upper side of the already accumulated block group, the game mode selection menu is displayed for the low-level operator. Each mode that provides a mode and functions in the mode setting state, the block accumulation pattern in the operation control area and the configuration of the falling block group A recognizing unit for recognizing a turn and a configuration pattern of the next block group, and an optimum falling block group for configuring the aligned block from the accumulated state of the block at that time based on each pattern information obtained by the recognizing unit Calculating means for obtaining a horizontal position and a rotation form of the apparatus, a correcting means for correcting the falling block group to a horizontal position and a rotation form obtained by the calculating means, and the dropping block group corrected by the correcting means as the operation unit. A game apparatus comprising: synchronization / control means for forcibly dropping and depositing in synchronization with an arbitrary instruction input signal obtained from Before the synchronization / control unit forcibly drops / deposits the falling block group, a dummy pattern of the falling block group is generated, and the dummy pattern is deposited on the lower side based on the information obtained by the correction unit. 2. The game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising dummy pattern display means for moving and displaying in time series so as to lead to the optimum position of the block. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the game program is recorded on an external storage medium, and the game program is downloaded from the external storage medium to a storage unit.

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